Glad Bushrod is gone!

this is a discussion within the Saints Community Forum; Originally Posted by Utah_Saint
I'm glad the Saints didn't over pay. I've read a few sites now that list the Baker signing in Atlanta as one of the worst signings this season because they just flat out paid too much ...

I'm glad the Saints didn't over pay. I've read a few sites now that list the Baker signing in Atlanta as one of the worst signings this season because they just flat out paid too much money.

Quoted from WalterFootball, contract is not that bad...

Falcons sign OT Sam Baker (6 years, $41.5M; $18.25M guaranteed): B+ Grade
This looks like a terrible contract at first glance. Giving a guy with back problems $41.5 million over six years would be a huge disaster - even if he happens to be the franchise quarterback's blind-side protector. But the fact is that the overall numbers are misleading. Stripped down, Baker's contract is for three years and $13.5 million. The rest is performance-based.

Given that knowledge, this is a very good re-signing for the Falcons. It's still a lot of guaranteed money, but retaining Baker was crucial for Matt Ryan's protection. Baker has had a shaky career in Atlanta up until the 2012 season, but he performed extremely well last year. He could always regress if his back flares up, but even if he does, Atlanta won't be stuck with a bad contract on its hands.

The first reports that came out claimed a 6 year $41 million dollar contract with $18 million guaranteed. THAT would have been terrible. Now that we know that isn't the case, the 3 year contract isn't as bad for the Falcons. Nevertheless...

PFF had this to say.

Sam Baker is like most starting LTs in the league, a former first-round tackle, but only one year has he really been able to look anything other than a major liability; 2012, his contract year. Even last year, the best we have seen from Baker, he was only our 27th-ranked OT, surrendering six sacks and allowing Matt Ryan to hit the deck another eight times on the year. The Falcons took this improvement as a signal to throw $20 million of guaranteed money at him rather than risk moving on without him and potentially disrupting Matt Ryan’s pass protection. Senseless.